By Gus Saltonstall
Mikie Sherrill is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, a former Navy helicopter pilot, a former prosecutor, a recent member of Congress, and the next governor of New Jersey. But, most importantly, she is a former Upper West Sider.
Sherrill, who defeated Republican Jack Ciattarelli on November 4 in the gubernatorial contest, lived for a number of years on West 95th Street, when she worked for the Kirkland & Ellis law firm. She later moved with her family to Montclair, New Jersey, in 2010.
Earlier this week, she went on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and during the interview, her time on the Upper West Side came up. Specifically, when she ended up delivering her second child in the back of a taxi, as she made a mad dash from the Upper West Side, across Central Park, to the Upper East Side.
The story begins after Sherrill’s doctor tells her to head to Mount Sinai Hospital on the Upper East Side, following contractions that are 45 seconds apart.
“I’m on the Upper West Side at this point,” Sherrill told Colbert. “We’re in a third-floor walkup, so we go down, and we’re on 95th Street. If you’re going to cross Central Park, and this is relevant, it is only half-a-mile wide, we basically just had to get to the other side of the park. We walk up to 96th Street and Jason [her husband] hails a cab; we get in and we get halfway across the park and my water breaks,” she continued. “I’m like, ‘I’m having this baby in the cab,’ and Jason goes ‘don’t push.'”
“Anyone who has had a baby knows that’s not really an option, so we get to the end of the park and the light turns red and we’re sitting there, and we’re not going anywhere, and Jason goes, ‘buddy, you got to make this light,’ so we finally get to East 97th Street and it’s still really jammed up,” Sherrill explained to Colbert. “And Jason said, ‘I’m going to go get help,’ which I have later said, was him pulling a runner on me. So, I’m sitting there, and the cab driver never looks back and is white knuckling the wheel, and there is a lady at the bus stop, who happens to work at the hospital and she asks if she can help, so I say sure, ‘catch,’ and I end up having this baby and I’m holding it, and Jason comes running back and looks at me.”
“And he says, ‘I thought I told you not to push.'”
You can watch the full interview clip, below.
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Oh, my. What courageous persons are mothers!
We did that run to Mount Sinai too
Ours was to New York Hospital!
Yet Manhattanites hate New Jersey and see them as beneath them!
Doesn’t it get tiresome constantly inventing grievances?
Never made sense to me…
She’s an Academy graduate? Why wasn’t she at graduation???
How do you know she wasn’t?
How is your “concern” relevant to this baby delivery in a cab story?
Even if she’d not been elected to any office, and never attended any college or university, the story is relevant to life on the UWS of Manhattan.
Jay, the story in the very first sentence mentioned her scholarly bona fides. I was commenting on that. Why is my observation a “concern” of yours?
We r not sure this is a true story.
Are you accusing her of lying?
she was involved in a scandal
Some people like to play “what’s wrong with this picture” instead of enjoying it.
As governor I hope she will be better prepared
She and her husband both
I’m sure you know the answer to that already. Maybe try looking at her accomplishments instead of focusing on the negative?
That would be unnatural.
Who cares?
Nobody!
I wonder why I’m reading this and answering you
People who are interested in other people care.
How wonderful to end ,what has been a deeply upsetting week in the national news, with this laugh out loud story about the new NJ Governor and her husband. Thank you!!
Kudos to Mikey Sherrill! Another reason to feel good about her! I was so close to having my baby in a cab in the middle of Central Park on my way to Mt Sinai, water broke on the way….and I made it into the hospital.
A little TMI, perhaps?
And pity the poor cab driver.
Well, New Jersey’s governors have had some interesting personal stories,
but I don’t think any of them can top this one.
Good luck, Governor Sherrill.
(And next time don’t wait till the contractions are less than a minute apart.)
Wow, what a story. I wish she were our governor!!
You can have her
So nasty.
She would be better than Kathy Hochul!
Late entry for WSR lede of the year (nicely done, Gus).
She will make NJ even more unaffordable wish she should have stayed on the westside!! 🙂
The Upper West Side is more unaffordable than NJ!
People always say, “How could she let this happen? Didn’t she know she was about to have a baby?” But I know several women who almost delivered en route to the hospital, and one who delivered on the shoulder of the New Jersey Turnpike. Which is way worse than in a cab on the East Side, though maybe a better story for the future governor of New Jersey.
I love everything about this story 🙂 especially the husband saying “don’t push” lolol
I can’t believe she was elected. Then again, most political victories confound me.
Let’s hope she does better than Murphy. Lower taxes. Don’t raise gas tax..we are already one of highest in country. Make rent affordable. It’s outrageous. Need more nuclear power. Reward plants for expanding and building new.
I still want to know why she wasn’t at the graduation from The Academy.
That was an amazing, story. Not to a high stake delivery. And definitely comedic in the end story. I kept saying to myself as I read, ” wow, she’s really not going to make it!” Glad all went well. “I thought I told you not to push!” 🤣 Those don’t apply to delivery my friend lol
Big deal just wait until this unqualified
Political carpet bagger ruins what’s left of N J. After all if you’re a “good ” person you’ll pay more for power! Poor people you are put on notice about your goodness should you not want to pay more for power. Most likely that burden will fall on the rest of us to pick up the slack in addition to paying higher prices . Give us a break , Miss you don’t know how you made 7 million in the Mkt since being in Congress.
I agree, a lot of B.S. during her lying time but N..J. voters have no class but to vote for this low life cheater. Can’t even schedule her time to have her baby in a hospital.
And shes going to tax us all to death for it.
Good job Govener Sherrill!!
How many Uber drivers know how to deliver a baby?